How to read and compare a renovation quote

When you ask for a quote to renovate your home, it is easy to end up with three offers that look nothing alike: one a single line long, another ten pages and a third with a price that seems too good to be true. Comparing only the final figure almost always leads to mistakes, because you cannot tell whether the same work is being priced with the same materials. This guide explains how to read a renovation quote and what to check before you decide.

Why a price with no breakdown is not enough

A single figure (“complete bathroom renovation: this much”) does not tell you what will be done or to what standard. If a disagreement comes up later, there is nothing written to rely on. A good quote is split into line items, and each one describes the work, the unit of measurement, the quantity and the price. That way you can see where the money goes and compare with another offer line by line.

What a renovation quote should include

• Company details: legal name, tax ID, address and contact information.
• A description of the property or space and the scope of the work.
• Line items grouped by trade: demolition and waste removal, building work, plumbing, electrics, tiling and flooring, joinery, painting, final clean.
• Measurements: square metres, linear metres or units for each line.
• Materials with their quality, brand or reference when already chosen, or an allowance if they are not.
• What is not included, stated explicitly (for example furniture, appliances or permits).
• Estimated duration and expected start date.
• Payment terms tied to stages of the work, not only to dates.
• VAT shown separately, with the rate applied.
• Validity of the offer: how long the prices hold.

Measure before pricing

A serious price needs real data: the size of the home, the state of the installations, ceiling height, whether there is damp or whether the layout changes. That is why a technical visit normally comes before the quote. An estimate over the phone can help you get your bearings, but it is not something to sign. If a company gives you a fixed price without seeing the property, ask what it is based on.

Materials: where offers drift apart the most

Two quotes can differ by thousands of euros purely because of the materials each one assumes. Entry-level porcelain tiles and large-format rectified tiles do not cost the same, and they are not fitted the same way. The same goes for taps, sanitaryware, interior doors and appliances.

To compare properly, ask each offer to state the quality of the main materials. If you have not chosen yet, the quote should include an allowance per item (for example an amount per square metre of wall tiling) and tell you what happens if you choose something more or less expensive.

Open items and contingencies

Surprises can appear during a renovation: a damaged pipe behind a wall, a floor that is not level or electrics that do not meet regulations. An honest quote deals with this in one of two ways:

• A contingency line, with a clear percentage or amount.
• A written commitment that any extra work will be presented to you and approved before it is carried out.

Be wary of offers that say nothing about this and then add extras during the work without warning.

VAT on home renovations

In Spain, renovation and repair work on homes can be charged at a reduced VAT rate (10%) instead of the standard rate (21%), provided the legal requirements are met. The most common ones are that the work is on a dwelling, that the client is a private individual and that the home is more than two years old. There is also a cap on the cost of materials supplied by the contractor relative to the total price: above it, the reduced rate does not apply to the excess.

Timescales and payment

Ask how long the work will take and what happens if it runs late. As for payment, it is reasonable to split it into stages tied to progress: a deposit on acceptance, interim payments as each stage finishes and a final payment when the work is handed over and checked with you. A company that asks for almost everything up front leaves you with no leverage if something goes wrong.

How to compare three offers step by step

1. Request them with the same scope: same rooms, same work and, if possible, the same reference quality.
2. Place them side by side and check trade by trade whether a line is missing from any of them.
3. Look at material differences: are the same qualities being compared?
4. Check what is excluded in each one. What is not in the quote, you will pay for separately.
5. Compare timescales, payment terms and guarantees.
6. Talk to the companies: how they answer your questions says a lot about how they will work.

Signs of an unreliable quote

• A single figure with no line items or measurements.
• A price far below the rest with no clear explanation.
• Pressure to sign quickly or discounts that “expire today”.
• No company tax details and no contract.
• A request to pay in cash or without an invoice.
• Refusal to visit the property before giving a price.

What a New Home 10 quote gives you

At New Home 10 we measure first and quote afterwards. Every proposal arrives broken down by line item, with materials, timescales, payment terms and everything that is left out, so you can compare it with any other. If you would like to see the result before deciding, you can add 3D design to your renovation. Tell us about your project on the quote page and we will reply within 48 hours.